CHRISTINE CARR -- For a good cause

Jennifer Kho

For Christine Carr, volunteering is more than just a hobby -- it’s a

career.

Carr, 53, spends most of her waking hours planning fund-raising events

for a number of Costa Mesa nonprofit groups, including the Youth

Employment Services, the YMCA and the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen.

“I felt I could be useful in making a difference in people’s lives by

giving for the big picture, not on a one-on-one basis,” she said. “When I

was young, I concentrated on helping people individually. It changed my

life when I learned I could be more effective and help many people by

helping nonprofits. Because there’s no way around it -- nonprofits need

to have funds to be successful. And organizing these fund-raising events

is my strength.”

Carr’s volunteering career grew out of her job scrubbing dental

instruments in high school. After she graduated, Carr said, she became a

dental management consultant, thinking of herself as a “dental

humanitarian.”

“Now I’ve realized I am just a humanitarian,” she said, laughing.

It all began during a trip to Mexico, when Carr saw a number of

children with poor dental hygiene.

Determined to help, Carr armed herself with toothbrushes and dental

floss donated by the California Dental Assn. and went back to Mexico to

teach children how to brush and floss.

Five years ago, former Newport Beach Mayor Evelyn Hart, a neighbor,

invited Carr to a YMCA breakfast. Carr learned of the YMCA’s need for

volunteers, and she signed up. She said she joined the employment

services’ cause the same year and decided last year to add the soup

kitchen to her list.

“I was born and raised in Orange County, and I really see a need for

people to join together and help to make a difference in people’s lives,”

she said. “I enjoy helping open the door for others to give. It’s a

blessing because it not only helps the people who give by making them

feel good, but it also helps mankind, and that makes me feel good.”

Carr said the skills that were essential to running her own consulting

business -- such as honesty, approachability, management, organization

and the ability to meet deadlines -- have also helped her help others.

“My communication skills are strong, and I have the courage to take on

a big project,” she said. “I like getting people involved for good

causes. I like making community awareness and getting the community more

involved.”

Carr said she does not consider her donations of time and energy to be

sacrifices.

“It is so fulfilling to give your time and talent as a gift to

others,” she said. “The rewards are abundant compared with what you give.

I get to turn my time, energy and life experience into a positive force

for a given cause. It feels good to know that other people are benefiting

from my efforts -- people in need.”